Heartless thief snatches dozens of bikes from kids' after-school program

ATLANTA - A free youth cycling education program has been suspended after someone stole 26 bikes from a trailer at the C.A. Scott Recreation Center in Mozley Park under the cover of night.

"That broke my heart that kids couldn't ride the bikes anymore and learn how to ride," Maya Jones, an eight-year-old bicyclist who attends the after-school program, said. "Now we don't get to have fun on the bikes."

Timeline:

The theft occurred around 1 a.m. Wednesday, the organization said.

Investigators were able to pull video of the culprit taking each bike one at a time in a process that took about an hour, the organization said.

"I don't know why someone would take all these bikes from these kids," said Jeremiah Jones, Propel ATL’s advocacy director and Maya's father.

Jones said the thieves took the bikes all the way down the hill, and surprisingly, no one reported seeing anything.

What we know:

Atlanta police confirms they are investigating the theft at the C.A. Scott Recreation Center where thieves completely cleaned out a trailer. In addition to the 26 bikes, the thieves took helmets, bicycle pumps, and other tools the program relied on.

Propel ATL, the organization that runs the free youth cycling education program, is currently out of tens of thousands of dollars.

By the numbers:

The organization is facing a loss of almost $20,000 to replace what was stolen. "Our bikes alone run about 10K," Jeremiah Jones, Propel ATL advocacy director, said. "This trailer is probably another 6 or 7 [thousand]."

What you can do:

The organization is currently accepting online donations to help get the kids back on bikes and has already received an outpouring of support from the community. If you would like to donate to the nonprofit to help replace the bikes, the website is letspropelatl.org/donate.